Tobacco stemming machine



Aug. 11, 1936. R. E. RUNDELL TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINE 1953 s Sheets-Sheet 1 I Origipal Filed April 19 INVENT R Y 5 1 w I 44% ATTORNEY 3 Sheets-She et 2 R. E. RUNDELL TOBACCO STEMMI NG MACHINE Original Filed April 19, 1933,

Aug. 11, 1936.

Iv Q moi 6% ATTORNEY Aug. 11,1936. R. E. RUNDELL TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINE Qriginal Filed April 19, 1935 3 sheets sheet 3 IBM. We"

NTOE 2 ATTORN EY Patented Aug. 11, 1933 UNETD STATES PATT 1' FICE TOBACCO STEMJVI ING MACHINE of New Jersey Application April 19, 1933, Serial No. 666,896 Renewed April 10, 1935 20 Claims.

This invention relates to tobacco shredding machines for the purpose of shredding tobacco and separating the leaf fragments and stem portions from each other. The principal objects of the present device are to provide a simpler and more compact device for this purpose which is nevertheless equal to or greater in efficiency as well as capacity than larger existing types of machines, and to provide a machine which utilizes centrifugal force to feed the tobacco leaves and portions thereof through the shredder.

Other objects are to provide a tobacco shredder with shredding pins which are to an extent self feeding, that is help the progress of the leaves in the desired direction of feed; to provide for winnowing by fan means in the same unit and in some forms on the same shaft as the travelling member of the shredder; to provide a shredder the shredding elements of which are to a large extent self cleaning; and to provide for feeding leaf blade portions rapidly through the shredding mechanism after their separation from the tobacco stem to thereby make possible large leaf shreds and at the same time to retain the stems a somewhat longer time if necessary to provide for thorough cleaning of blade portions therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compact unit which may be combined with other tobacco leaf treating machines to supplement the main treating operation with little or no manual re-handling of the leaves and without loss of condition on the way. With these and other objects not specifically mentionecl in View, the invention consists in certain constructions and combinations which will be hereinafter fully described and then particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts, Fig. l is a sectional side elevation partly broken away of the improved leaf shredding machine; Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation partly broken away of a duplex leaf shredding machine; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the duplex machine shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing the use of the improved shredding machine in combination with a tobacco stemming machine; and Fig. 6 is a cross section on line 66 of Fig. 5 showing the arrangement of the thresher unit of the stemming machine.

In carrying the invention into eifect there is provided in combination with a rotary conical tobacco breaker or shredder having a peripheral outlet, means for guiding tobacco to be broken to a position adjacent the apex of the cone to be urged through the breaker by centrifugal force. In the best constructions said breaker includes 5 relatively movable members and a winnowing fan traveling with one of said movable members. Preferably said relatively moving members are provided with sets of breaking elements on each of said members, said elements being arranged 10 with the elements on one passing between the elements on the other, and in one preferred construction said elements have inclined faces the planes of which are inclined toward the base of the cone from the leading to the trailing edges of said faces to fan leaf portions through the breaker or shredder. In one preferred application of the invention there is provided in combination with a tobacco stemming machine having butting means, a shredding unit and means coacting with said butting means to deliver leaf portions and broken butts from said butter into the range of action of said shredding unit whereby the tobacco portions removed by the butter may be reclaimed without rehandling or reconditioning.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the main frame of the machine consists of frame elements I and 8, which are held together by tie bolts 9 and which carry in bearings IE3 and H a shaft I2 driven by a pulley l3." On bearing II is mounted a stationary hub M which carries a conical shell 15 provided with internally projecting pins l6 fastened to radial external reinforcing strips l1. At the top of shell I5, two of the strips I! are 85 omitted to leave room for an opening l8 communicating with a chute l9 through which the leaves L are fed into the machine. The chute I9 is supported by straps 28 and 2| attached to the frames 1 and 8, respectively.

On shaft I 2 is rotatably mounted a hub 22 supporting the rotatable cone shell 23 having externally projecting pins 24 attached to internal reinfcrcing strips 25. While the stationary pins [6 are preferably square, the revolving pins 24 65 in one preferred embodiment of the invention are rectangular and are set with their long sides at a forward angle with the direction of rotation so as to drive the leaf fragments severed by them towards the large ends of the cones, 50 and so be self clearing in that the tendency of' the stems will be to slide off the forward surface of the pins rather than hang thereon as might be the case with a radial surface. To provide an outlet the stationary cone l5 has a cylindrical I5 outward extension 26 with an outlet opening at its forward side, in the direction of rotation. Into this extension is inserted an annular plate 2? partly cut away so as to cover nearly all the annular space between the cones l5 and 23 not registering with the outlet opening of cylinder 26. The plate .21 is reinforced by an eccentric rib 28 which at its innermost end is turned radially outward, thereby closing up the outer annular space of extension 25 at the upper end of 9 its outlet. At its forward end, the extension 26 is closed by a disk 29 having a central opening for the admission of air.

Within the extension 26, there is mounted on the same shaft I2 carrying the rotating cone or shell 23, a fan 30 having radial vanes 3| attached to a solid rear disk -82 carried by a hub 33. The front of the fan is closed by a disk 3}] having a central opening corresponding with that in disk 29. The air inlet is controlled by a disk valve 86, shown in Fig. 3, which is pivoted on frame i andadapted to cover up more or less of the opening in disk 29, as required. At its outer end, the extension 26 is reinforced by an angle frame 3 1 by which it is fastened to frame I through a cross strap 35 at the bottom center, and through spacers 36 along the top half.

To separate stem portions from leaf portions the outlet of extension 26 through a pipe 31 communicates with a chamber 38 which is divided into three sections by means of vertical partitions 39 and 49 extending nearly to the closed ,top of the chamber, which is open at the bottom. The space between the top of partition liland the top of chamber 38 is bridged by a screen ll attached to partition 46. In the first section of the chamber, opposite the entrance of pipe 31, is mounted an adjustable bafiie plate Q2 which directs the fragments forced into pipe Si by fan 30 in an upward direction. The stem fragments S, being heavier than the leaf fragments, are not carried to the top of partition .39 but drop from the first section of chamber 38. The leaf fragments L, on the other hand, are blown over the top of partition 39 into the second section of chamber 38 in which they fall to the bottom outlet. The leaf fragments are prevented from entering the third section of chamber 38 by the screen 4i, but the dust particles D liberated from the leaves and the tobacco dust produced by the shredding operation will pass through the screen and issues from the outlet of the third chamber section.

In Figs. 3 and 4, a duplex leaf shredder based on the cone principle is shown. Two shredder cone units ,as heretofore described are mounted, with the cone hubs facing one another, on a common shafteS, supported by frames 44 and 45 and driven by a pulley or sprocket 46 mounted atits center, between the two cone units. The pulley 46 is connected by a belt with a pulley 41 on a countershaft 48 journaled in frames 44 and 45 and driven by a pulley 49 belted to a motor 50. The shaft 48, by pulleys 5| and 52, drives a shaft 53, which in turn, by pulleys 54 and 55, drives a shaft 56 on which is mounted a roller 5'! driving. an endless belt 58 running over rollers 59 on shaft 60 supported by a pedestalframe 6|.

The .belt 58 runs towards the cone units and serves as a feed conveyor for the leaves L to be shredded. It occupies the entire widthbetween .the discharge chambers 62 and its upper loop is supported bya plate 63 held by brackets 64 mounted on shafts 56 and 60. The leaves are placed on feed belt 58 between and uards 65 which lead to the outside Walls of the entry chutes 66 of the shredding units. Over the center of belt 58 there is suspended a forked guide 61 the ends of which form continuations of the inside walls of the chutes '66. At the bottom'of the outlet openings of the outer core extensions 26 are placed screens 68 permitting the dust D to fall through a chute 69 into a receptacle 10. Long stems S slide down baffles if placed atop'the first partitions I2 of cham- :bers'62 .into receptacles 13, short stems S are carried to plates 14 atop the second partitions 15 and drop into receptacles 16, while leaf fragments L-are blown beyond the plates 14 and land in receptacles Tl.

In Fig. 5, the improved shredding machine is illustrated combined with and supplemental to a tobacco steming machine of the type disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,968,098 granted July 31, 1934, though it will be understood that the thev stem butts and carries the leaves through the stripping mechanism H, the severed tobacco 'I dropping into a receptacle E while the stems S are removed from the grippers by ejecting roller J and guided by achute K into a receptacle F. V

The threshing rnechanism B, Fig. 6, consists of two oppositely revolving shafts i8 upon which are mounted blocks "19 carrying brackets .86 in which are pivoted rows of beaters 8i. The leaves L are guided through the threshing mechanism by the feed belt A and the endless thresher belt Bend the violent action of the heaters 8|, instead of merely clearing the butts, breaks off many of them still uncleared with good tobacco adhering which hitherto could not be economically reclaimed. It is for the purpose of taking the tobacco off these uncleared stem butts, and also for separating the tobacco particles from the stem fragments that it is desirable to use the improved shredding machine in conjunction with the tobacco stemmer. It should be observed that all manualrehandling is eliminated and that the tobacco, which dries and loses its carefully prepared condition or moisture content for stemming is shredded before itloses condition and therefore no reconditioning operation is necessary.

In Fig. 5, the shredder I is placed with its intake chute [9 below the outlet of the threshing mechanism B so that the fragments M drop directly into the space between the cones l5 and 23. After being shredded by the said cones, the fan 36 blows them into chamber 38, from which the heavier stem portions fall through the lower outlet 82 upon an endless belt 83 which carries them to a container 8 1 communieating with the stem receptacle F of the stemming machine, while the lighter tobacco fragments are blown to the top of chamber 38 and drop through the upper outlet 85 into a container 88 communicating with the tobacco receptacle E of the stemming machine.

7 It will be seen that the compactness of the present device is such that it may advantageously form a part of a variety oftobacco machines for salvaging tobacco adhering to or mixed with the stems.

In the operation of the improved tobacco shredder the tobacco after being fed in between the conical faces of the members l5 and 23 is urged through the shredding. elements: I6. and 24 by centrifugal force, as well as gravity, which speeds up the shredding process and increases the capacity of themachine; Itis also noted that the pins or breakers or shredding elements are made of flat stock having their flat faces inclined to the direction of their movement, the inclination of the plane of the shredding elements being toward the outlet edge of the cone from the leading to traveling edge of the elements, whereby the surface facing the base of the cone will fan the leaves toward the outlet at said cone base. The inclined faces of the pins will also produce a current of air along the surface of the cone 25 towards said outlet which in addition to the similar effect of the fan 31 will draw the separated leaf portions rapidly through the shredding elements. This tends to blow out the larger leaf portions immediately after they are separated from the stems and makes for larger shreds which is a desirable feature since these shreds make a better grade of filler for cigars. This same air current will have relatively less effect on the stems which will remain in the shredding portion of the machine until the leaf portions are removed.

The mounting of the fan on the same shaft as the one of the conical shredder members at the periphery makes for compactness and simplicity and also has a tendency to draw air from inlet to periphery of the conical surfaces and to augment the air current produced by the inclined breaker element surfaces.

What is claimed is:

1. In a. tobacco stemming machine, the combination with tobacco shredding members one of which rotates relative to another, having opposed conical faces and coacting shredding elements in each of said faces arranged to shred tobacco leaves, and means for feeding tobaccoleaves between said faces near the apex thereof for movement during shredding toward the base of the conical faces the shredding elements on said relatively rotating member having flat faces inclined. to the direction of their movement from a position nearest said apex at the leading edge of. the face to a position nearest said base at the trailing edge of said face, to fan the tobacco portions toward said. base.

2. Ina tobacco stemming machine, the combination with tobacco shredding members one of. which rotates relative to another, having 013-, posedconical faces and coacting shredding elements in each of said faces arranged to shred tobacco-leaves, and means for feeding tobacco leaves between said faces near the apices thereof for movement during shredding toward the base of the -conical faces, said elements having their leading faces inclined rearwardly from base to tip to prevent hanging of tobacco portions thereon.

3.. In a tobacco shredder, the combination with opposed relatively movable members, of tobacco shredding. elements on said members the shredding elements on at least one of said members comprising combined shredding pins and fans, whereby a current of air is produced by said fans between said members which tends to blow out the larger leaf portions immediately after theyare separated from the stems.-

4. A multiplex tobacco shredder comprising in combination a plurality of tobacco shredders arranged for rotation on a common horizontal axis, common means for feeding tobacco toward said shredders, and means for diverting a of the tobacco. on. said feeding means to can of said shredders.

5. A multiplex tobacco shredder comprising in: combination a plurality of tobacco shredders arranged for rotation on a common horizontal axis, common means for feeding tobacco toward said shredders, and means for diverting a part of the tobacco on said feeding means to each of saidv shredders, and winnowing devicesanranged to receive tobacco from said shredders, flanking said feeding means.

6. In a tobacco shredder, the combination with opposed relatively movable tobacco shred ding members arranged to shred tobacco introduced between them, and means disposed between said members for producing av current of air between said shredding members in 'adirec tion at an. angle to the direction of movement of the members.

7. The combination with a rotary conical tobacco breaker having one tangential outlet, of means for guiding tobacco to'be broken to" a position adjacent the apex of the cone, a revoluble fan in said breaker adjacent said outlet, and an air inlet adjacent said fan, whereby rotation of the fan produces a blast of air which forces all of the broken tobacco through said outlet.

8. The combination with; a rotary conical tobacco breaker having a tangential outlet, of means for guiding tobacco tobe broken to a position adjacentthe apex of the cone, 9. chamber communicating with said outlet and having three sections, said breaker including relatively movable member-s and a winnowing fan travelling with one of 'said movable members and blowing the stem fragments, leaf fragments and dust through said outlet into the first, second and third sections respectively of the chamber.

9. The combination with a rotary conical tobacco breaker having a tangential outlet, of means for guiding tobacco to be broken to a position adjacent the apex of the cone, said breaker including relatively movable members and set of breaking elements on eachof" said members arranged with the breaking elements on one member passing between the breakingv elements on the other member, the breaking elements on one member being rectangularand set with their long faces at a forward angleto their direction of rotation to drive the broken leaf fragments toward the base of the cone.

10. The combination with a rotary conical tobacco breaker having a tangential outlet, ofmeans for guiding tobacco to be broken to a position adjacent the apex of the cone, said breaker including. breaker pins having fan surfaces facing the outlet of the breaker for fanning the leaf fragments broken fromthetobacco towards said outlet, whereby .:said fan surfaces will produce a current of air through;v the breaker which will tendto blow out the-larger leaf .portions immediately after they are separated from the stems.

11. In a tobacco stemming machine, the combination with tobacco shredding members one of which rotates relative to another, having 0pposed conical faces and coacting shredding. elements in each of said faces arranged to shred tobacco leaves, means for feeding tobacco leaves between said faces near the apices thereof for movement during shredding toward the. baserof theconicalfaces, and mechanism for removing theshredded tobacco from between said conical faces and winnowing it into stem fragments, leaf fragments, and dust.

4 12. In a tobacco stemming machine, the combination with tobacco shredding members one of which rotates relative to another, having opposed conical faces and coacting shredding elements in each. of said faces arranged to shred tobacco leaves, means for feeding tobacco leaves between said faces near the apices thereof for movement during shredding toward the base of the conical faces, a winnowing fan at the base of said conical faces for winnowing the shredded 4 tobacco, and an arcuate annular plate covering bination with tobacco shredding members one of which rotates relative to another, having opposed conical faces and coacting shredding elements'in each of said faces arranged to shred tobacco leaves, means for feeding tobacco leaves between said faces near the apices thereof for movement during shredding toward the base of the conical faces, a shaft carrying and driving one of said members, a winnowing fan carried by said shaft, and a cylindrical extension enclosing the fan and the base of said conical faces and provided with an outlet for the broken tobacco and an air inlet adjacent said fan.

14. The combination with a rotary tobacco shredder having opposed surfaces of progres sively increasing circular cross-section and a tangential outlet, said surfaces being provided with tobacco breaking elements, of means for feeding tobacco between said surfaces at one end thereof for movement under the influence of centrifugal force to said tangential outlet, a revoluble fan adjacent said outlet, and anair inletradjacent said fan, whereby rotation of said fan produces a blast of air whichforces all the broken tobacco through said outlet. 15. The combination with a rotary tobacco shredder having opposed surfaces of progressively increasing circular cross-section and a tangential outlet; said surfaces being provided with breaking elements, of means for feeding tobacco between said surfaces at one end thereof for movement under the influence of centrifugal .fcrce to said'tangential outlet, and a rotating shredded into said inlet, and means for forcing the shredded tobacco through said outlet and winnowing it-into stem fragments, leaf fragments-and dust. 7 7 v Y 17. The combination with a butt thresher, of mechanism for stripping. tobacco from the stems of tobacco leaves, means for forwarding tobacco leaves into the range of action of said thresher and stripping mechanism successively, a shredder arranged to receive leaf fragments and broken butts from said thresher and shred the same and thus remove any leaf fragments adhering to the broken butts, and a winnower for removing the shredded tobacco from said shredder and separating the shredded leaf fragments from the shredded butts and delivering the shredded leaf fragments to tobacco strippe from the leaves by said mechanism.

18. The combination with a butt thresher, of mechanism for stripping tobacco from the stems of tobacco leaves, means for forwarding tobacco leaves into the range of action of said thresher and stripping mechanism successively, a shredder arranged to receive leaf fragments and broken butts from said thresher and shred the same and thus remove any leaf fragments adhering to the broken butts, and a winnower for removing the shredded tobacco from said shredderand separating the shredded leaf fragments from the shredded butts and delivering the shredded leaf fragments to tobacco stripped from the leaves by said mechanism, said shredder including relatively movable tobacco shredding members arranged to receive leaf fragments and broken butts therebetween from said thresher and shred the same, and fan means on one of said members for feeding the tobacco through the shredder.

19. The combination with a butt thresher, of mechanism for stripping tobacco from the stems of tobacco leaves, means for forwarding tobacco leaves into the range of action of said thresher and stripping mechanism successively, a shredder arranged to receive leaf fragments and broken butts from said thresher and shred the same and thus remove any leaf 'fragmentsadhering to the broken butts, and a winnower for removing the shredded tobacco from said shredder and separating the shredded leaf fragments from the shredded butts and delivering the shredded leaf fragments to tobacco stripped from the leaves by said mechanism, and said winnower including a rotating winnower fan traveling in unison with one of said shredding members to remove the shredded tobacco from be tween said shredding members'and winnow it into'stem fragments and leaf fragments. g, 20. The combination with a butt thresher, of mechanism for stripping tobacco from the stems of tobacco leaves, means for forwarding to:

bacco leavesinto the' range of action of said thresher and stripping-mechanism successively, a shredder arranged toreceive leaf fragments and broken butts from said thresher and shred the same and thus remove any leaf fragments adhering to the broken butts, the said shredder being in such proximate relation to the thresher that no substantial change in the condition of the leaf fragments and butts can occur during the transfer of the'same from the thresher to the shredder, means for delivering said butts and fragments from said thresher to said shredder and a winnower for removing the shredded tobacco from said shredder and separating the shredded leaf fragments from the shredded butts. il RUPERT E. RUNDELL. 

